{
  "id": 13433704,
  "title": "Shikhar Mohan, 21, on a father’s unfulfilled cricket dream and his own long game",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/10/shikhar-mohan-21-on-a-fathers-unfulfilled-cricket-dream-and-his-own",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-10-10T14:21:21.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Indian Express",
    "slug": "the-indian-express",
    "url": "https://indianexpress.com/article/sports/cricket/shikhar-mohan-jharkhand-ranji-trophy-father-cricket-dream-10915902/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "In Ranchi, Jharkhand, the homecoming of 21-year-old cricketer Shikhar Mohan was a grand festival. On October 5th, he returned with a medal after leading his team to victory in the Irani Cup. The Irani Cup win came after Shikhar scored a crucial 60 runs in the first innings against Jammu & Kashmir. The victory was celebrated by everyone, including Shikhar's family and neighbors in the residential society. However, the most emotional presence among them was his father, Suraj Mohan. Suraj's reaction to his son's achievement seemed composed, perhaps because he had already spoken to him on the phone after the match.\n\nSuraj is an advocate by profession, but he had dreams of becoming a cricketer himself when he was younger. He enrolled Shikhar in an academy at a very young age, following his own passion. Suraj has not explicitly admitted it, but he believes that he always wanted Shikhar to be a cricketer. Unfortunately, due to his grandfather's strictness, Suraj could not pursue his dream. He enrolled Shikhar in the academy and gave him the freedom to choose his career in cricket, which he never had for himself.\n\nShikhar has represented his state at various levels, including Under-16, Under-19, and Under-23, and made his senior debut at 20. He made a triple-century in his third appearance and scored 613 runs from eight matches in the Duleep Trophy season. Shikhar's unique approach to the game is his respect for the value of his wicket and his ability to grind it out, which sets him apart from others in his generation.\n\nShikhar found cricket as his own vocation at the age of 13 when he was selected for Jharkhand's Under-16 team. Since then, he has developed a strong technical base and has been influenced by legendary cricketers like Virat Kohli and MS Dhoni. He has had the privilege of playing alongside current India players like Ishan Kishan and Rishabh Pant, who have shared their top-level experience with him.\n\nAs the new season begins, Shikhar will be facing more challenging opponents, as they will be well-prepared to exploit his strengths and weaknesses. However, Shikhar is working hard on his game and is hopeful that this season will go well for him.",
  "summary": null,
  "key_points": [
    "21-year-old Shikhar Mohan returns home with Irani Cup medal",
    "Father Suraj Mohan, a former cricketer, dream unfulfilled",
    "Shikhar represents India at various levels, known for respect for wicket"
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}